'Neomasculinity' meetups canceled after police warnings

The founder of a controversial “neomasculinity” group called off a string of international meetups, including two scheduled in Iowa, after warnings from Des Moines police and other agencies this week.

Anti-feminism "tribal meetings" hosted by Return of Kings were scheduled for Saturday in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids. The events, organized by Daryush “Roosh” Valizadeh, caught the attention of Des Moines police, who posted a warning on social media advising people not to attend.

“There is concern that this may be a ruse to commit rape,” Des Moines police wrote Monday in a Facebook post.

“Roosh has been described as the leader of the U.S.-based pro-rape ‘neo-masculinist’ group. Valizadeh is also the author of several self-published books that give men advice on how to have sex with women in various different countries.”

Valizadeh is an American author and self-described pick-up artist who formed Return of Kings in 2012, according to the organization’s website.

The group sparked global controversy this week after announcing meetups in 43 countries. The meetups were intended to unite men of like-minded values and ideology.

The website identified a Des Moines meetup spot in the parking lot at the VA hospital, beneath a group of trees shown in a photo. Men were supposed to congregate after identifying themselves with a code and then follow a leader to another location.

Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek said the meeting itself was not illegal, but it raised red flags for the department.

“Any group that advocates violence, particularly against women, is going to get our attention,” Parizek said. “And they will not like the type of attention we give them.”

Parizek said police planned to monitor the gathering.

In a series of blog posts, Valizadeh outlines a philosophy for “neomasculinity,” making the case that gender equality is a myth and detrimental to society. It also promotes men’s rights in a society that it says has become skewed in favor of women.

One blog post from Valizadeh shares the following:

“Traits possessed by men in greater percentage than women: dominance, independence, intelligence, rationale, analytical thinking.

“Traits possessed by women in greater percentage than men: submissiveness, dependence, emotional nature, faster intuition, cooperative sharing.”

Valizadeh on Wednesday posted an update on the Return of Kings page that called off all international meetings, due to widespread publicity and pushback.

“I can no longer guarantee the safety or privacy of the men who want to attend on February 6, especially since most of the meetups can not be made private in time,” the post read.

“While I can’t stop men who want to continue meeting in private groups, there will be no official Return Of Kings meetups.”